out post sound blog

We recently stumbled across this great article on the Raindance Film Festival Website. Reposted here via kind permission of the author Elliot Grove.

The film industry is pretty simple to break into, if first, you understand some basic concepts. The basic concepts can be learned pretty quickly, despite what industry moguls tell you. 

However, there is some basic bullshit that surrounds the industry that keeps first-timers away from writing, directing, producing or starring in a movie.

1st Lie - Film Making Is An Art.

If filmmaking was an art, you would go get some film stock, rent a camera, make your 'art', and then line up on Piccadilly on a Sunday morning with the other buskers and try to sell your art to a passers-by - or give it away for free for others to enjoy. But we both know that it doesn’t work like that.

To make a movie you need to write cheques--and lots of them. When your movie is finished, you will want to negotiate the best possible deal for the greatest amount of revenue. Therefore, filmmaking could be discussed as writing cheques, negotiating and revenue potential. To me, that sounds like a business. And everything in the British film industry is about business. The sooner you realise this, the sooner you are likely to succeed.

2nd lie - Filmmaking is a Filmmaking Industry

The film industry spends more money marketing a film than making it. You have probably heard about the way a distributor 'opens', 'releases' or 'markets' a film. So if it costs so much to, open release, or market a film, then surely the film industry is more concerned with this, than with the actual making of a movie. Technically, in the film industry, the marketing budget is called the P&A budget (prints and advertising). And the two elements of a movie that the industry markets are: Who is in the film, and What is the budget.

When you make your first independent feature film you should know what it costs to strike a print and what ads (print, radio, TV, etc) cost. At the very least You must know this to market your film to distributors at a film festival. But please, always remember that the film industry is a marketing machine that creates perceived values every weekend.

Hint: You’ve made a film. A film has no value. No one pays for a film.

Everyone pays for a movie. When does a film become a movie? The answer is, “when it’s in a cinema”. When it’s in a cinema you see newspaper ads and movie reviews in newspapers.. When you see a newspaper ad you think it’s a movie. It’s in a movie theatre. Are movie theatres free? Answer, “No!” Thus, movies cost money to see. Films you can see for free.

When your film is picked up by a distributor and they put in their “P&A” money, it now has a value of $10. This is the normal cost of buying a ticket at a movie theatre. In America there are 280 Million people and if only 1 out 100 people see the movie this translates into 2.8 million ticket sales times $10 for a GROSS of $28,000,000.

Distributors and Filmmakers don’t see that $28,000,000. That’s what cinema owners collect. Box Office Gross! Did filmmakers see Box Office? Of course not. But the moviegoer has now been taught that your free film is now worth $10. Of the other 99 out of 100 potential ticket buyers what do they do? Probably, at least half of them, when they see the newspaper ads, say “I’ll rent it”. Is it free to rent at Blockbuster. No, that costs money too. When you walk into a video store and see a piece of plastic you know you could buy blank from a stationer for 40 cents, yet now with the wrapper on it it is worth $10-20.

That’s how Hollywood works. Hollywood takes a film that has no value, puts in the newspaper ads and gives it a $10 value knowing that, at the most 1 out of 100 will see it at the theatre. However, the other 99 people thinking it’s worth $10 will now rent it at the video store because it only costs $4. The Film Industry is a film marketing industry, not a filmmaking industry.

3rd lie - What the Budget Is.

Is there any industry that tells you the cost of manufacturing the product you want to buy? Why is it that in the film industry we always seem to know what the budget is? Do you think the film industry really tells you the truth? And if anyone asks you what the budget of YOUR` film is tell them to mind their own business!

There are only 4 budgets in the movie industry (1) the Blockbuster Budget, (2) the Hyphen Budget, (3) the Million Dollar Budget and (4) the Micro Budget.

The Blockbuster Budget is a budget so big that it is marketed as the most expensive film in the history of cinema. The first was Gone With The Wind, the next one, the first million-dollar film was Cleopatra. Films like the Titanic, Waterworld etc are marketed as hugely expensive so we, the punters, will go to see what 100+ million looks like on the screen.

The Hyphen budget is marketed as between 40 and 45 million, as if the anal accounting department cant remember what happened to five million dollars! Can you believe that? It is the budget of a standard Hollywood film, and the actual production costs on a thirty - seventy million-dollar film are at most a few million, with the balance spent on stars and promoting the film. 

The Million Dollar Budget is your typical entry-level independent film and the budgets are expressed as: 1.4 mil (sex, lies and videotape) or 800 thou (Lock Stock) 1.1 mil (Shallow Grave) 1.1 mil (Blood Simple) These films don’t usually have stars, and are story driven. 

The Micro budget is broken down into three sub categories:
Under a million = low budget
Under 500 thousand = Micro Budget
Under a hundred thousand dollars/euros/pounds = No budget Films like Pi, Blair Witch, Clerks and the brilliant The Following by Raindance alumni Christopher Nolan fall into this category.

The budget of your feature film is going to be one of those 4 budgets. For more information and details on how to make a $1,000,000 Feature Film by spending $200,000 then check out the Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking book offered by Raindance. But stop thinking that you know what the true budget of a film is. The film industry lies!

4th lie - The Film Industry Makes Deals with Filmmakers.

The problem with all filmmakers that what to make a film is that they are perennially attempting to make-a-deal to get the money to make-a-film. This will never happen. You are putting the horse before the cart. You must first make-a-film to make-a-deal. I know this is confusing so allow me to use some numbers to understand the concept, which is “First Make-A-Film to Make-A-Deal”.

If you desire $20,000,000 to make a feature film you must go to one of the 7 major distributors (Warner, Paramount, Sony, Disney, etc). And, all they ask you to do to get their $20,000,000 is to first Make-A-Film with a $2,000,000 budget…that makes money. Because Hollywood (Lie #2) is a film marketing industry and the distributors want to be able to market “From the Producer Of, from the Writer of, From the Star of” on the poster and ads.

Thus, if you want $20,000,000, make a $2,000,000 Feature Film…that makes money. Now, how do you get $2,000,000 to get the $20,000,000? It’s simple. First Make-A-Film! Make a $200,000 feature film that makes money. Are you getting the point? And how do you get $200,000? You first make a $20,000 Feature Film!

First, Make-A-Film! And, if that film makes money…then you’ll make a deal!

For detailed information on how to make your first feature film knowing that you only have access to 20,000 to 200,000 dollars/euros/pounds attend the Lo-To-No Budget filmmaking class at Raindance.

The UK Film Council published its three year plan on April 1st (don't worry it's not a joke… I think!) and launched its new £15m Film Fund. In developing the final plan, the UK Film Council spent three months consulting on the proposals, engaging with hundreds of people from across the film sector, facilitating more than a dozen consultation sessions and attracting almost 1,000 responses. The plan specifically:

* opens up for business a £15m-a-year Film Fund (topped-up further by film recoupment) for emerging, experimental and world class filmmakers;

* ring-fences money for development;

* confirms production companies will for the first time automatically receive a significant share of the UK Film Council's recoupment from all feature film investments they are involved in, following State Aid approval of the measure by the European Commission;

* sets up a think tank chaired by Tim Bevan to identify new policy initiatives to grow independent UK film companies of scale;

* proposes a national web-based talent showcase, to be launched in Autumn 2010, to unearth fresh talent and to broaden the diversity, reach and the opportunities available to all filmmakers who are keen to engage with one another in a national filmmaking community;

* confirms £5m is allocated to the new Innovation Fund, which will launch in Autumn 2010 (more details to follow);

* provides £500,000 for film exports for each year of the plan;

* confirms that 100% of recoupment from the Prints & Advertising Fund - which widens and supports the distribution of selected specialised films and British films - will, like the Film Fund, top up that fund's budget.

Alongside this plan, the DCMS have been leading merger discussions between the UK Film Council and the BFI. These discussions have been underway since August 2009 and continue.

Launching UK Film: Digital innovation and creative excellence, Tim Bevan CBE, Chairman of the UK Film Council, said, "We've set out a renewed mission, a new set of priorities, and a new way of working. With the right level of support, a successful British film industry can continue to help get the UK out of recession, drive innovation and create more highly-skilled jobs. Further tough choices probably lie ahead, but having reduced our overheads by 20% and positively responded to the needs of British filmmakers we're now in the best place we can be to support and promote UK film in the years ahead."

John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council, announced that the new £15m-a-year Film Fund had opened its doors for business. Managed by a new team of experienced senior production and development executives, the fund has introduced a brand new online application process in which applicants will set out their creative and strategic visions for their film.

Woodward commented: "The new Film Fund's primary focus is creative excellence. Tanya and her team will support filmmakers who want to put British filmmaking at the centre of our national culture and on the international map. The aim is for the Film Fund to attract the best talent, encourage creative risk taking, and deliver great films to audiences.

"Joining Tanya in the search for creative excellence will be a team of three Senior Production and Development Executives with an impressive and broad range of film industry expertise. Natascha Wharton, Lizzie Francke, and Chris Collins each have big production successes under their belts – together, it's a team that will provide a wide range of expertise and tastes as well as a supportive, energetic and ambitious home for British filmmaking talent.

"The team will all work across the full range of projects in production and development, but individually they will also have specific responsibilities."

* Natascha Wharton (starting 4 May 2010) will focus on development;

* Lizzie Francke will focus on experimental feature length films, national engagement and showcasing new talent;

* Chris Collins will focus on ideas for future film practices for both emerging and established filmmakers, from micro / low budget features and shorts, through to 3D blockbusters.

The Film Fund is open for applications from 1 April, but it will be presenting a more detailed strategy to the UK Film Council Board in the coming months. It has already been agreed that a portion of the £15m budget will be ring-fenced for development – although there will be no automatic assumption that projects developed will become films that the fund would then invest in at the production stage. The remaining budget will be safeguarded for the Film Fund's own production investments. Further details will be announced in the coming months, in addition to details of the Film Fund's non-London investment target and how the new online showcase will operate.

There has been much debate recently about wages, interns, runners and the like in the film and television industry.

BECTU have had their say, Skillset have attempted to clear the water and many other have just stood back to see which way the dust settles.

At out post, we have also hit problems involving legislation laid down by the government, which effectively means that you cannot take on interns without paying them. The legislation broadly states that if someone is volunteering to work for you, you cannot tell them to do anything!

The confusion that this legislation has caused lead us to abandon our plans to take on an intern. We even looked at taking on an apprentice, but unfortunately the support we got from the "Apprenticeship Hotline" left a little to be desired.

However, Skillset have now launched a set of guidelines to help companies like ourselves who wish to give people and foot up in the industry n the form of "Guidelines for Employers offering Work Placement Schemes in the Creative Industries"

The guidelines have been developed to "provide clarity over different terms associated with work-based learning programmes including Volunteering, Work Experience Placements, Internships and Apprenticeships."

The 26 page document details these different approaches and gives best practices to employers on what their responsibilities are. However, and this is where it all gets complicated. If you provide an internship you have to pay, albeit the National Minimum Wage. Now, we all know from experience, that interns in the film industry don't always get paid, but this is what the legislation dictates. The only way around this is to use volunteers, but as previously mentioned the employer is not allow to stipulate times of work, hours or in-fact tasks. How is this useful to anyone?

At a recent meeting in London between BECTU members and members of the indie film industry in the UK, around 1/3 of those in attendance agreed that people should NOT be allowed to work for free in any situation. To me this seems like a violation of peoples personal right to choose. How does this actually help anyone?

BECTU can be seen to be protecting higher wages for crew, which is fine, but at what cost. If a movie can only be made on a low budget the crew members have the choice if they wish to work on it. On the other side of the coin, and this is something I have stood by for a long time, giving services away for free, can eventually undermine the value of those services making it impossible for anyone to make any money. A prime example of this is the internet - how much are you willing to pay for - news for example?

It is a minefield in many different ways. For what its worth, I don't think there is anything wrong with people offering their services for free to gain experience, benefiting all parties. (Unfortunately government legislation, at least in the UK, makes this increasing difficult.) What I do think is wrong is film makers expecting talented and experienced crew to work on productions for nothing or very little. It takes years to gain experience and skill, and with the pace of development especially in the post world, keeping up with the technology can almost be a full time job.

The indie UK film industry must not act as if it is a charity. It needs to make it's own way in the world. Relying on funding and grants only leads to mediocrity. If a product is good enough to stand up on its own then there will be someone out there who wants to put up the cash… right?

If anyone needed convincing that the BBC needs protecting they only needed to cast their eye over 'Wonders of the Solar System' that screened on BBC Two last night.

Presented by particle physicist and ex keyboard player from 90s posters D:Ream, Professor Brian Cox, the show was wonderfully constructed, expertly written, beautifully shot with a wonderful score and fantastic CGI.

Cox's presenting style is incredibly informative and personal. He puts emotion into subjects that, although incredibly complex, are fundamental to all of us.

This programme, one of a series of five, was a documentary for the intelligent. That is not to say it was elitist in the slightest, but thankfully it did not play to the lowest common denominator - something that docs have a tendency to do more and more.

All of us license fee payers should look at this documentary as a benchmark for the quality of programme making that the BBC is capable of with all of its huge resources. We should not underestimate its importance and we should not let it be used as a political pawn in the forthcoming electioneering.

Keep the BBC independent, keep the BBC well funded and we, the population of the UK, will reap the benefits - knowingly or not.

Watch the trailer for the series here